Shin: Monsters of Tomorrow
by waifukou
Summary: Humans exist as do monsters called Shin. The government keeps their existence hidden, making sure the public is unaware. After decades of being denied living and cruelly experimented on, Shin begin to take a stand for their freedom. While this is happening, Sakura wakes up with no memories and mute. Figuring out her past, she's told she is one of the strongest Shin alive. SakuMulti


**Chapter one: Commence Operation **

Classification: Shin.

Origins: Unknown

Description: Powerful beasts that range in vast elements: water, fire, electricity, etc. Many of them are able to take forms disguising them as humans.

Species Discovered: 1

Needs more research but one _important _detail:

Each Shin has an imperfection unable to hide, no matter their power.

_Proceed. _

"Breaking News! This morning, the Police handed over previous murder cases to the Government to continue their personal private investigation of these following agents found dead dangling from the skyscraper two weeks ago..."

The news reporter's voice switched off changing to another talk show host than another animated voice, a finger on the button of a remote control quickly changing their channels.

"Nothing good is on." With a low grumble, Shikamaru settled on an ancient channel he watched as a kid, _Tom and Jerry_'s program just starting. He set the remote down to shift his attention back on the bowl filled with cereal below him. It was now soggy.

Just the way he liked it.

He heard footsteps descend from the stairs revealing Asuma in his uniform. "G' morning, champ."

"I thought you had today off?"

Asuma stalked over to the kitchen where Shikamaru was, eating slowly on top of the counters. He grabbed a mug from the drawers to pour coffee in it before responding. "Yeah, I did too but the captain has been more active lately due to the rising murders on all these random people working undercover for the government. He thinks we have a lead but every time we go after it, we find nothing then the killings come to a halt."

Munching on oats and scooping another serving with his spoon, Shikamaru thought lightly on his statement as he tapped the ends of his silverware on the rim of the bowl before diving back into it.

"Sounds to me like they're purposely tricking you guys. Like a cat chase." With a flick of his spoon, he pointed it towards the television to the animated series for his reference. On cue, Tom was seen racing behind Jerry down a hall before slamming into a wall as Jerry scrambled inside his burrow.

The dark skinned man sighed, sinking into the ceramic counter, nose happily soaking up the scent of his warm beverage.

"I'm afraid you might be right. But we still have to take that risk even if it leads us to a dead end. The murders keep getting worse, each looking gorier than a scene from a slasher film."

Shikamaru observed him, noticing his glassy eyes. He wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand and got up, bowl in his hand while the other aided him in ascension from his seat. He didn't respond back yet, the music from the TV left to echo in the room, filling in the comfortable silence.

He knew he was bad at this whole 'comforting' thing but he tried anyway, for Asuma's sake.

"I guess that means more coffee then?"

A dry chuckle escaped the other man's lips and set the nearly half finished mug down to ruffle the boy's hair much to his dislike. Shikamaru brought his free arm up to stop it while the other began lathering soap on the dishes, foam bubbling on his hands.

"What're your plans today?" Asuma asks, refilling the cup.

"Unlike you, I have the day off from classes and was hoping to see that new action movie released in theatres together. But since you're clearly busy playing good cop, I think I'll just go sightseeing around the city." Shikamaru placed his bowl onto the racks of the dishwasher, wiping his hands with a nearby towel from the counter. "Maybe hike. Depends on my mood."

"As long as you're not locking yourself up in your room, I approve. Of course, nothing illegal but I think that'd be too much for your lazy self to handle."

The obnoxious grin on Asuma's face made Shikamaru roll his eyes, not offended at his cheesy comment. Still, he still threw the wet towel onto the older male with extra force making him bend over in fake pain. "Don't forget, you've got laundry duty this week."

Before the male went up to the stairs back to his room, he was stopped by Asuma plastering on a solemn expression on his face. It made Shikamaru falter a step.

"Be careful out there. Stay safe and be guarded at all times."

The boy nodded at his words and relaxed as Asuma put back a small smile. With that, he resumed going up to get a fresh set of clothes than into the bathroom. Shikamaru turned the shower water on looking forward to the leisurous day that awaited him.

. . .

Shikamaru didn't think he was lost. At least, not completely.

He scanned the woods, vaguely remembering the certain hiking path in front of him but could've sworn that this got closed up due to a previous storm. He sighed, muttering "troublesome" a few times before thinking quick.

Damn, he should've brought a map with him. It's been a while since he last came here with Asuma so the area was unfamiliar with him. The bastard made him navigate so he knew he wasn't completely screwed. He'd just have to dig into his long term memory to retrieve the dull information.

He knew he'd figured a way out. Besides, it was too pretty a day with the clouds being out for once in the city that never sleeps for him to stress. Being lost in the woods was way better than being lost in the heart of the city.

Shikamaru decided against the trail, going the other direction to create his own path where lay fewer branches to push against and bushes scraping against his legs. Yeah, they were covered but it was still a pain in the ass.

Shikamaru continued his slow pace, taking in the breath-taking scenery that gradually made he want to take a nap the more he kept trudging forward but stopped when he felt his feet unable to move.

"What the…?"

He prepared himself for it to either be a dead critter in the way or a giant boulder but widened his eyes slowly. Scattered leaves were surrounding a hard figure.

Hoping it wasn't what he thought, flashes of the images of people's death on the news. He knelt down to brush a few off only to jump back, a hand covering his nosebleed. It was not an animal. It was a...body.

In fact, it was a woman and she was breathing and she was naked.

But what freaked him out was the fact she had weird black streaks encircling parts of her body that didn't look like inked tattoos. Wait, what the hell?

Were those horns? On top of pink hair?

. . .

**Two days ago: **

Falling.

That was what awakened her as the pressure forced her body downward. Green eyes slowly drifted open, the wind making it impossible to keep them open for long but she managed.

She watched as clouds passed her conscious body rapidly. She reached out yearning to touch them but could never grab one to attain. That brought her attention to her hand, completely unfazed that she was still falling at a dangerous rate, choosing to stare at her slender fingers then to her palm.

There were black stripes on it, elegantly wrapped around in a lean manner. The woman falling couldn't feel the stripes on her body as she touched it but sensed it as it pulsed alive like a vein

Before she could investigate herself further, the women hit the ground. The air in her body stilled as she couldn't feel anything but the weight of her body cracking open the ground beneath her, the earth making an ear-splitting sound that knocked the women back to unconsciousness.

Strange noises awoke her specifically a buzzing.

Minutely, it stopped until she felt something was on her nose. It was making it itchy.

She pried her eyes open slowly, noticing the sky was on top of her this time. She was no longer falling in it. She inspected her surroundings, dirt blurring her vision as she was in the middle of a crate made up of whatever type of ground she was laying in.

Slowly she got up, quickly alerting herself as a small creature zoomed off of her and into the wilderness. For some reason, she knew she should've attacked. The black linings on her pulsated through her, adrenaline pumping ready to charge into battle but stopped. An aching filled her bones making the women wobble.

The impact from earlier made her back throb and that is then when she noticed she was not clothed. And she was covered in filth and blood.

It made her sneer in disgust, enough reason for her to jump her way out of the crate. She quickly scanned the area, detecting for any threats and began walking when there wasn't any. Her legs slowly adjusted to the action of each step as it seemed she must've been falling for a long time.

The women quickly caught on that the buzzing was the sound of small creatures flying and chirpings were from feathery creatures who could also fly but were much bigger than the buzzing creatures. She watched curiously as the smaller creatures were eaten by the larger ones if they didn't fly fast enough.

The women continued to process her surroundings, trying to make sense of the world around her at its unfamiliarity but stopped at a long blue canvas. Her mind zinged, the black markings on her telling her to relax and urging her to approach it. Her body communicated back for her, accepting that it was safe and stepped in.

It was cold. She shivered at the contact but her body temperature eventually regulated to it, enjoying the coolness. The woman found herself splashing around and blowing bubbles.

She decided at that moment she liked big blue bodies of the canvas.

Soon enough, the women dove underneath and saw new creatures that couldn't seem to fly like the ones on land. Instead, they did an odd thing with she presumed, their legs and arms. It was as if they were soaring through the big blue. She tried to reach for one but every time she got too close, they flee the other direction.

The woman began imitating them, observing from a distance and sloppily executed what the other creatures did so naturally.

It frustrated the women that she couldn't do the same as the creatures so she continued, arms and legs flailing until she found herself content when she finally looked exactly like them. Her legs behind her kicked water, granting her speed while her arms stroked against the current of the waters.

Finally, after some time, the color in the sky changed to a dimmer red. The women took that as a sign to get out, still not understanding the concept of time on this planet. She slicked her hair back with her fingers but stopped as she saw her arms, stomach, breasts, calves, legs, nearly everywhere her body had muscle; were those strange black lines all over her.

The women looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, there were some on her butt as well.

She leaped out gently on the ground to stare back at the blue canvas. The women saw a copy of herself, her reflection. The markings on her didn't react. It wasn't a threat. Long pink hair covered her intimate parts, the length stopping at her waist. Her hair contrasted the color of the markings on her.

The women reached up for the top of her head, not knowing she had horns. They were beautiful, much more enthralling and noticeable than the markings on her person. It was willowy, arched a certain way symmetrical to each other. It was a deep shade of brown, similar to the trees that were around her but not heavy. She couldn't sense a weight on her this entire time.

She peered closer over the blue to view more of her. She didn't know the markings extended to her face, going up the sides of her cheeks vertically. Her lips and nose remained untouched, but around her eyes was the markings as well.

Her forehead seemed to connect the markings—no, not her forehead. The rhombus shape in the middle of it must be it, it connected four thick lines like it was bringing together and ending its path through her body.

She knits her eyebrows in confusion as the women could've sworn the rhombus flashed a color but quickly jumps back as her ears perked up, picking up voices. Another zing went through her, the strange markings prickling the hairs on her skin alerting her to retreat. The women jumped, hiding behind bushes to see what was ahead.

"Idate! Stop it, that tickles."

Two new creatures came into view. They were nothing like the flying ones or big blue ones underneath. Somehow, they were much taller with lanky legs and arms and heads with distinct features. Like her, but not entirely the same. These creatures did not have markings on their skin. Theirs were flawless compared to hers. A hint of jealousy made the women growl.

The one that spoke was clothed in little clothing along with the other, showing off his top portion of his body but the lower part was covered. She could determine that the one who spoke was a woman like herself as they had the same genitalia except the new women was smaller.

She watched them hug each other, the two talking in low voices before they stripped off the zero to none clothing they had on and jumped into the big blue canvas.

"I'm going to get you!"

Jolly sounds erupted from the new women as the other creature swam after her who easily surrender herself to it. She watched the two interacted in what seemed like a happy manner, they kept squealing and teasing each other until they stopped to stare at each other's eyes.

The women quirks an eyebrow up, wondering why they stopped until she heard low groans and moans. Were they playing a different game this time?

She watched as the two stood unusually close to one another. The new woman was the one mainly executing the sounds as she toppled him, grabbing the hair on his head while he was burying himself into her breasts. She could not place what they were doing but watched intently as it might be useful information if she ever came in contact with these similar looking creatures like herself.

The women felt safe moving from her spot when they left after some time. She still wanted to examine herself and her reflection.

A light was shone and she thanked the small circular object in the sky for it. The rhombus must mean something, the women knew that much as she could feel there was an importance to it.

Taking deep breaths, she began to think for any clues of how she was falling or where she was. Something she could summon to help her in this quest but a throb from her head was her only result.

The women tried again and could have sworn she saw someone appear in her memories but a sharp tug from her forehead made the image go dark and blank. She opened her eyes to discover herself sweating and breathing laboriously.

The women knew something wasn't right but every time she thought of remotely anything involving herself, her head shut her out. She pursued her lips but gave up, walking to find somewhere safe to retire for the night as a new wave of exhaustion hit her.

…

**Present: **

"Oh shit!"

Shikamaru pinched his nose, _still_ trying to stop his nosebleed while wondering what the hell he was going to do. What possible solution could he come up with that wouldn't result in him having to touch this woman?

He was already in a predicament by not knowing where he was but stumbling upon an extremely toned woman that had makeup on for a horror amusement park, he lost all thought. Every time he glanced back at her to try to stir her awake, he couldn't because he didn't want to rouse this woman whom was out cold and it didn't help that his eyes had different intentions as it drifted to areas that he will not name _nor _stare at.

Damn his male primal wants.

Shaking his head, he should at least try to list out the obvious. He could call for help, preferably Asuma since he was a cop.

Shikamaru reached for his phone in his pocket ready to speed dial Asuma's contact but saw there was no connection. That made sense. He was most likely in the densest area of the woods.

Moving on to Plan B: he desperately needed to find clothes for this strange women and. a way out to go back home before Asuma arrived because he'd be damn trying to explain his situation to him arriving from work that he simply _found _an unconscious naked woman with strange symbols all over her. A hat couldn't even cover the horns on her head.

God, this all sounded insane.

The only reason he knew he wasn't delusional or on LSD was the fact that he bumped into her and touched her and she was very _well_ alive.

Shikamaru thought monsters were just fiction, only found in literature like comics and movies. The last character he saw with horns was Hellboy.

But he needed to focus on what's important.

He shrugged his jacket off and placed it over the horned women without looking because he was a respectable man that also, didn't need to suffer another nosebleed. Shikamaru had the thought that she could have been chased down or worse, raped and left for dead but could tell she was, for the most part, clean and bruise-free.

Just naked and lying around in the woods. Nothing unusual here. If he went to the cops, he was so screwed.

Shikamaru slowly sank down into the leaves and observed her, choosing to wait for his next course of action when she woke up hoping he could hear a good explanation from her of how she got here. But also, he was tired of thinking.

Her chest, now covered with his jacket, rouse lightly. It drew his attention back to eye the stripes on her body. He wasn't sure why but they molded her figure well, almost accentuating her curves.

Shikamaru blushed lightly but quickly returned back to her.

They didn't seem unnatural neither her hair color. None of it was infused with dyes or ink. It was like a part of her similar to the horns. The markings on her, it wasn't body paint. It was her. Everything was. But even with the incredulous get up, he couldn't come to terms with himself and see her as a monster.

The way her breathing was, her long pink eyelashes and lips ripe with color. There was something very humane about her.

Finishing that thought, the women flickered open her eyes. Shikamaru sucked in a breath as she moved but stilled as she touched his jacket. With lightning speed, Shikamaru couldn't even react before he was pinned on the ground by the horned woman.

Looking closer, he saw she had green orbs with specks of stars in them. Everything about her was so unreal. And her boobs were pressing on him meaning the jacket was no longer on her so she was completely naked.

Shikamaru swallowed, hoping a boy moment wouldn't happen.

The woman narrowed her eyes, the rhombus on her was flaring a certain color and the markings on her were turning a shade deeper. It reminded him of an alarm system except he was the threat her body was warning her of.

"Hello….I am Shikamaru Nara and I.., uh, come in peace?"

He wouldn't have blamed the horned woman if she killed him right there on the spot. Only she didn't, instead, she cocked her head to one side like a child.

If it was a second chance of redeeming himself, he'd take it. "I found your body while I was hiking. I'm..not sure where you're from but it's not common to lay in the woods and sleep. It's usually a sign you're dead or in trouble."

The woman continued to stare at him except in wonder making Shikamaru want to shit his pants because her nipples were against his chest and he could feel himself get tingly and his boy part was beginning to get excited.

He nearly did when her hand reached up to touch his lips.

He didn't move as her nimble fingers slowly traced his lip's skin. He looked up to see her eyes filled with some sort of longing, confusing Shikamaru. She had lips like him as well, much prettier and fuller. Why would she be wanting something?

A thought flashed in the back of his head unless she was…

Shikamaru began moving his lips without warning making the women quickly recoil her hand.

"What is your name?"

He watched intently as the women simply stared at him, a muscle unmoving in her face. She blinked then cocked her head to one side in an innocent manner despite being horned and mysteriously marked.

"You...don't have a name?"

He was met with silence and the same relentless staring.

She was mute. Or the very least couldn't speak the language. This complicated things.

He sighed.

The woman continued staring, placing her hands on his chest. That's when Shikamaru realized she was still on top of him, naked and he could feel the outline of her butt press against his lower abdomen. He gulped, feeling his part becoming slowly aroused as lewd thoughts flashed through his head.

"Could you get off me? Please?" He added, thinking it'd make a difference.

The woman raised an eyebrow to his question making Shikamaru sigh but think fast before his erection became into full view. He tried to imitate his request with his hands. She widened her eyes, probably thinking he looked ridiculous but rhombus on her forehead flashed purple. Like that, she got off.

It seemed that there was an entity in that rhombus, how else would she have suddenly understood? It was like it translated his words for her. Before Shikamaru thought deeper, he needed water.

He put some distance between them and tried to stare directly at her face because she was still in fact, naked.

"Okay. So, I'm not going to leave you here unless you want me to but I don't think that's smart. If you come with me, I can promise you'll be much safer than here.

Have you eaten anything in the last twenty-four hours?"

The horned women stared for a few seconds before blinking. Shikamaru pointed at his stomach.

"Hungry? Food?"

Like that, the women copied his action, pointing at her bare stomach and Shikamaru thanked her knees were covering a certain area. She actually seemed to think for a moment before opening her mouth. I guess that's a yes to food.

He got up and grabbed his jacket, dusting off any remaining dirt on it before handing it back to the horned women who got up as well.

"Please put this on. You're naked. It isn't normal to walk around naked where I live."

He felt his offer of clothing hang in the air for a bit making him doubt himself because he didn't really want to put the jacket on for her. If he was beside her any longer, his male member would probably erupt.

But then, he felt skin graze against him allowing him to release the small breath he didn't know he was holding. He waited until he heard a zipping sound and the rustling of the leather to stop.

"Ready t—"

He held back a snicker as the horned woman was wearing the jacket the completely wrong way, one sleeve through both her arms and the other tied by the other.

Shikamaru stalked over to help untangle herself in the mess she made and showed her how it's properly worn. He watched as the woman gasped at it, lifting up her arms as the sleeves dangled a big and long enough to cover her rear.

He was relieved and also taken aback by how cute the sight was, reminding him of a child but didn't realize he was a head taller than her. He took a mental note that her horns gave the appearance that she was tall yet, in reality, she wasn't.

Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pocket, putting on a weak smirk.

"Ready to see my home?"

. . .

**Two hours later: **

Shikamaru was grateful that Asuma's car wasn't in the driveway when he came back despite it nearing to be evening.

His shifts usually end early but they're never consistent as he can recall the nights of waking up to someone coming home in the middle of the morning, the shower running.

But that also meant he didn't have to sneak through the back windows with a horned woman barely clothed.

Shikamaru's first priority was to take care of her, make sure she's fed, bathed and properly clothed before Asuma arrived. Christ, he sounded like a mother.

Shikamaru ushered the women closer to him towards the house, quickly unlocking the door and shoving the two of them in. Things were exactly like he left, messy but not too bad that he could move around.

He peered into the refrigerator, noticing the horned woman was standing still looking over the living room and kitchen. It was weird she couldn't talk but somewhat relaxing as he didn't have to hear endless noise despite how curious he was of her.

Shikamaru decided the two of them would be having toasted pizza and microwaveable spring rolls. He didn't have the time to prepare a proper meal as he felt the stare of the girl on his back, remembering she was still naked.

"Let's go find you something to wear."

He gestured to his clothes and pointed up the stairs. "Wanna see my room?"

The girl simply looked up at the direction he pointed at then back to him, pursing her lips in thought while holding the ends of his jacket before taking a step.

He smiled, happy to see her trust him just a bit.

A few minutes later, he managed to find an oversized shirt from a youth camp he attended and small boxers in his growing years. No idea why he still kept them but obviously, they've come in handy.

Convincing the horned woman to get into the tub wasn't difficult, it was surpassingly easy as her eyes grew wide as he poured water in their tub and she nearly jumped in it when he said it was ready.

Shikamaru was nearly as soaked as her as he made sure she didn't slip and fall. He was grateful he put the bubble soap in. She was fully covered behind the bubbles and he found himself smiling as she looked at them cautiously, bringing a hand up to pop one but flinching back as it did.

For someone who had the looks of a supernatural beast, she was surprisingly adorable.

He got lost looking at her until he realized she was staring back, head slanted to one side. He blushed, coughing into his arm.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. Do you like the water?"

She thought for a bit before nodding, gesturing at the water then splashed around in it with a grin.

She understood him. To some degree.

"Can you speak? At all?"

This made the girl in front of him knit her eyebrows together, obviously confused. Maybe she understood basic things but couldn't grasp concepts?

Shikamaru sighed, thinking before trying again. "Speaking. What I'm doing. Making words. Moving your lips." With each sentence, he pointed to his mouth and exaggerated it, like he was throwing something up.

The women watched intently and he saw the rhombus on her forehead flash purple, almost like it was processing the words he spoke for her. Shikamaru didn't know what to make of it yet but maybe her loss of speaking could be related to it. After all, she was horned and marked like a warrior. Anything was possible.

The woman opened her mouth then closed it to open it again but this time it was to blow out bubbles. He grinned. Well, he was relieved to know that not all hope was lost on her.

After finishing her bath and taking a quick shower, he led her back downstairs for the two of them to have dinner.

Shikamaru continued to watch her, making his own little investigation of the mute horned women. She was very intuitive. She only ate until he first took a bite out of the slide of pizza, watching his mouth slowly chew it then swallowing before taking another bite.

Deeming it was safe, the women copied his exact movements only stopping to widen a bit at the warm taste, happily plowing it down and reaching for another one.

"Careful, you might choke."

She looked up at him curiously, crumbs and tomato paste all over her mouth, especially around the corners. He sighed then grabbed a napkin, carefully reaching over to her mouth before he felt a sharp pressure at his wrist. The women had a firm grip there as she narrowed her eyes in question to what he was going to do.

Shikamaru took note of the way her markings flashed dangerously, especially the rhombus taking over a color different than before. Even the women's eye color was no longer a bright green.

With carefully chosen words, he spoke. "I just wanted to wipe away the food on your mouth. They're all over your lips."

The women stared hard at him, the rhombus flickering quickly before he felt her grip on him loosen. He took that moment to gently press the napkin against her mouth making her close one of her eyes at the motion.

"See? All clean, you can keep eating now."

Shikamaru officially decided that there _is _an entity in her head, it had to be controlling her and her actions. After all, why else would it alert her like that and change colors? Even when he was staring at her, he always felt a second pair of eyes on him inspecting him more closely than he was at her. It was unnerving him.

That thing on her forehead was more of a threat than the horned women. For the most part, she was just a mute child.

Without thinking, he spoke. "We've really gotta do something about your appearance."

The woman paused her chewing to glance up at him. She tilted her head, her hair framing her face.

"Don't look at me like that. You know what I mean." He tapped the top of his head then his face where her stripes were. "These and those."

"I don't want people thinking you're a monster. You need to disguise yourself before Asuma comes."

Shikamaru was met with that same relentless stare making him want to roll his eyes but kept himself calm.

"If you don't want people to think you're bad because I know you're not. So if you can, could you make them go away?"

With that being said, Shikamaru got up and preserved the remaining food in the microwave for Asuma when he came back. He didn't know why he said that when she couldn't understand, or maybe she did, but it's not like it would result in anything.

He was glad he didn't call Asuma because even though he was the first person he'd go and trust, he was still a cop and if he saw this woman no doubt he'd suggest they had her over to the government. The thought didn't sit right with him.

Shikamaru paused his thoughts when he saw a light from the corner of his eye making him quickly turn to see the women slowly float upwards his ceiling. _Floating_.

His eyes widen as he watched her eyes glow a soft white along with the markings turning the same shade. It all slithered back to her rhombus in the center that was emitting the same glow. Soon they were gone along with the horns that sank down into her head, vanishing. The woman came back to the ground at a slow pace and Shikamaru rushed away from the counter to catch her.

He watched amazed as the glowing dimmed. She now looked just like him. The only thing out of place was the rhombus on her forehead but that was definitely preferred than horns and strange lines.

Also, she was heavier than she looked.

Like that, Shikamaru heard an unlocking from the main door and inwardly cursed. He raced up the stairs, falling after every step because of this damn woman who was even more beautiful than before. His legs were bruised by the time he reached his room and carefully placed her on his bed, tucking her in sheets then going back down to greet Asuma.

He wiped the sweat off the side of his head and tried to calm his breathing. He was glad Asuma was too busy taking off his shoes and jacket because it saved him a couple of minutes to compose himself.

"I see you ate dinner without me."

"Yeah, well you can blame my stomach. Also, you look like hell."

Shikamaru made his way to the refrigerator to pour him a glass of water but Asuma protested for a beer instead.

"What happened?"

After a few hungry gulps, Asuma answered. "We followed the lead and for once managed to get some clues. There were footprints but not human ones."

The statement made Shikamaru's hair stands.

"They were twice the size of our own foot and you know the men in our unit have some damn big feet. We also found blood on the scene that wasn't the same color as our own too. We managed to get a few samples and sent it over for inspection. I have no idea what the hell is going on anymore."

"Sounds pretty bad.." Shikamaru said sincerely while thinking, could it be possible that there was more like the horned women out there?

"Yeah, we had to block the whole area off and go through it thoroughly for more clues but that was all we got our hands off. Man, I'm tired."

Shikamaru grinned, excusing himself to go back to his room before Asuma stopped him making him pause stiffly. Was he acting suspiciously?

"What about your day? Did you end up going on that hike?"

He relaxed. "Yeah, it was nice. The same one we went last time. Nearly couldn't find a way out but you know, I managed with this big brain of mine." Shikamaru rapped the temple of his head lightly before continuing to the staircase.

Asuma laughed and brought his beer up. "I'll drink to that."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before racing back up to his room to speedily shut it and for some odd reason was put at ease that the woman was still fast asleep.

He never expected that the first woman to be in his bed was going to be a horned marked mute possible creature but he didn't mind as, by the light, she looked non-threatening. Almost...human.

Without her horns and black stripes all over her body, Shikamaru could actually take a proper look at her. He didn't realize that their skin tones weren't all that different, he was a bit paler but that's only because he rarely got out for his daily dose of vitamin C except when he had to go to campus.

She stirred a bit and if he wasn't watching, he would've missed the rhombus on her forehead flutter.

Shikamaru sat in his chair and opened his laptop to begin his research. He pulled up a blank notepad to begin typing what he knew.

Woman:

_1\. Met her in the woods naked_

_2\. She has horns, pink hair, and strange black markings_

_3\. She has the ability to make them go away (meaning she probably could do a lot more)_

_4\. She's also mute_

_5\. Wait, she might have a name but since she couldn't speak, she was unnamed._

_6\. There's a strange entity in her forehead_

_7\. Potentially, there are more of her kind out there_

With that, Shikamaru slouched deeper into his chair somewhat disappointed with the list. There were so many open ends that he could make up but it wouldn't mean anything unless the women could vouch and explain. Unless her rhombus entity was capable of giving her the ability to speak, he'd always end up back to square one.

Not wanting to give up yet, he clicked open his search browser to type 'urban legends'. He scanned them over, searching for keywords like horns, women, and markings. It narrowed him to a few but still wide selections that would take hours to sort.

He cracked his knuckles before typing in "mythical pink haired beings". The internet was quick to show him images of girls with pink wigs and cosplay. He dropped a bit as he exited that search and tried another.

Changing his google search again, he typed black encirclings but quickly deleted that. Instead this time, Shikamaru tried diamond shaped body mark. He stared intently at the screen as it processed before revealing to him ancient stories of powerful demons and sorcerers.

He slowly scrolled as there were fewer results but drew interested on one story in particular. Softly he murmured out loud, "Rabbit Goddess….Kaguya Otsutsuki?"

Shikamaru could've sworn he heard a rumbling behind him but when he turned he still saw the pink haired women sleeping soundly. He smiled at the sight before returning to the screen to read the story.

'_Kaguya Otsutsuki was once a Princess, marrying off to a famous emperor for peace in her land. On a walk out, she began to grow entranced by a nearby fruit as it lured her to eat it. She took a bite, not realizing that an ancient demon was sealed in the fruit by a wicked sorcerer. The ancient demon went into her body, using her as a host to continue bringing demise wherever he pleased... _'

If Shikamaru hadn't been specifically searching for this, he would've sworn this was some dumb fantasy lore Chouji showed him last week from one of his video games. He continued to scroll, scanning past her origins and stopping at relations.

It said she had sons, grandsons, and an...unwanted daughter?

Intrigued, he clicked on it and saw there was barely any background info but a bunch of theories on it. One caught his attention with the headline, 'Kaguya uses her unwanted child for—"

Shikamaru nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard a velvet voice suddenly speak. "What are you doing, little boy?"

Muffling a scream, he turned to see that no one was behind him. Pink hair was still tucked under his covers so, who the hell was that? He slowly turned his chair and saw there were no ads on the website and his volume was turned off. He felt a bit unsettled and was going to continue his reading, but stopped as that low velvet voice spoke again except in a low whisper.

"You shouldn't be so nosy. You might find something you don't like."

Shikamaru didn't panic but slowly moved around in his seat wanting to face the voice but slowly cast his eyes around his room, nothing but darkness. He stared into his computer screen for a reflection but was greeted with only himself.

"Hello?"

The air stirred making his stomach churn, the spring rolls having not digested yet.

"Take this as a warning and get away from this girl. "

"This girl…?" Shikamaru thought to himself before remembering the woman on his bed. He played dumb. "She definitely isn't just some girl. Are you her dad or something?"

He could've sworn the voice made a sound of disgust. "This girl is none of your concern. Why are you helping her?"

"Maybe because I found her in the woods and if she was left there, someone worse could've gotten to her. I just want to help her. "

He was met with silence, deciding he'd press further. "Who are you? Are you inside that rhombus on her forehead? What entrapped you in there?"

A low chuckle came from the voice. "You're smart and you obviously know too much, I should kill you."

Shikamaru held onto his chair, slowly reaching for a sharpened pencil on the side of his desk but the voice spoke again in a condescending manner.

"You couldn't kill me even if you tried. Since you've proven to me you're not vacuous as the average mortal, I'll let you live." He twitched at the voice's remark, the male has heard many remarks about his laziness but put up with it because of his intelligence. But for some reason, the voice poking fun at it annoyed to a small degree.

"Why can't the girl speak?"

He was met with a pause, swearing that the voice was thinking until it spoke. "Let's play a game. Don't you mortals love games?"

Shikamaru smirked to himself, hearing the challenge in the voice. Clearly, this mythical voice had no idea the capabilities he was at solving games. Thousands of shoji matches have taught him well.

"What are the rules?"

"If you can help her regain her memories, I'll reveal myself to you and...bestow you a gift."

Regain her memories? What the hell does that even mean? And a gift? He knew in every fantasy novel that it was some bait. He didn't care for gifts. Shikamaru pondered for a bit and could hear the seconds tick by from his old fashioned clock.

"I'll need a hint for such a big request."

"Hmmm, fair enough. I'll give you her name."

Shikamaru nearly whirled his chair in disbelief. He would need more than just a name but could feel the wind in his room intensify and his air condition was rarely on, he liked his room humid. He knew it would be foolish to retort so he stayed in his chair, waiting.

"Her name is Sakura Haruno, a shin."

. . .

**Two hours later that night: **

"I think we've lost them."

"Kisame, don't take your eyes off the road."

"Oi, I know. No need to make your tone that way."

A dingy car drove by quietly in a somewhat suburban neighborhood. Nothing too fancy nor shabby either. Two figures were cloaked in the night hiding behind the car's dimmed windows, steadily cruising.

The large man stopped the car turning to face his partner, waiting to see what would happen next. He knew that if any other person saw him right now, they'd be slightly perturbed with the deadly serious expression on his face but the bigger man knew his friend was concentrating on concealing their presence and detecting if those black vans were anywhere near their vicinity. It was the charm of his shin ability.

After a few minutes, the thinner man re-opened bright crimson eyes. He nodded at his partner making Kisame break out into a grin, turning on the radio, ready to head back home.

"Kisame."

"Alright, alright, I'll turn the radio off. I just wanted to celebrate." Before the big man got a chance, his thin framed friend put a hand over his wrist, shushing him.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel wha-Oh shit. That's huge."

Itachi nodded, looking at the house across from them. There was an overwhelmingly strong aura through the windows of its second floor. He didn't need his power to sense it. It was immense, nearly filling his senses. It was the aura of another shin and it was _tremendously _strong.

Kisame gave him a look. "Well? Want me to transform?"

"No. Let's not do anything rash and inform Pein right away. I hate to admit it but judging by their ambiance, I don't think we could take the shin on. Even with the two of us."

"Bullshit. That's ludicrous."

Kisame shifted in his seat, fully facing Itachi with incredulous eyes. He didn't believe his friend, no matter how smart the little shit was. Them? Not being able to defeat someone? Impossible.

Itachi nodded. "We have to tell Pein now."

Kisame grinned at the sound of his voice, exactly knowing what that meant. He slammed the brakes and howled in the night.

. . .

A/N: It's a slow start. This is a SakuMulti story but I'm not sure how many of the men I intend to write as monsters. Depending on the number of reviews, I get, I'll continue. Also sorry for the spelling errors!


End file.
